SONGHAI

also spelled Songhay, also called Sonrhai, ethnolinguistic group inhabiting the area of the great bend in the Niger River in Mali, extending from Lake Debo to the mouth of the Sokoto River in Nigeria. The Songhai are a Negroid people of probable Caucasoid admixture. They are composed of many related groups, the most important of which are the Zerma. Their language, also called Songhai, is of independent stock. Songhai society traditionally was highly structured, comprising a nobility, free commoners, artisans, griots (bards and chroniclers), and, formerly, slaves. Marriage could be polygynous, cousins being preferred partners. Descent and succession are patrilineal. Cultivation, largely of cereals, is practiced intensively only during the rainy season, from June to November. Cattle are raised on a small scale, and fishing is of some importance. Each craft of workers in iron, wood, pottery, leather, or cotton belongs exclusively to one particular caste. As a result of their advantageous location at the crossroads of western and central Africa, the Songhai have traditionally prospered from caravan trade. Many young Songhai have left home for the coast, especially Ghana.